HDS VARs gunning for HP and Dell

Vendor launches specialisation programme to up the ante against tier-one rivals

Hitachi Data Systems’ (HDS) top-performing VARs have hailed the launch of its specialisation programme, claiming it will help them win deals against tier-one vendors.

The programme lets part­ners acquire specialisations in se­veral areas, including storage migration and vertical market solutions.

Speaking to CRN, Mike Walkey, senior vice president of global partners and alliances at HDS, said the programme was aimed at the firm’s top 150 worldwide partners, which include Viglen and Computacenter.

“The aim is to decrease the amount of competition between [partners] by providing them with opportunities to differentiate their services offerings,” he said.

Bordan Tkachuk, chief executive of Viglen, claimed the programme will help partners win against the likes of HP and Dell.

“We will offer end users a solution stack backed with a strong services proposition,” he said. “This should help partners compete.”

Neill Burton, datacenter solutions director at Comp­utacenter, added: “The value is that it certifies we are credible in achieving certain outcomes and it puts some clear water between partners.”